North Korea fires ballistic missiles into water near Japan

The two missiles landed in the sea east of Japan Monday, South Korea’s military said. Japan said the missiles did not damage any ships or aircraft and North Korean official state media confirmed the launches. North Korea fired a separate intercontinental ballistic missile on Saturday. The frequency of North Korea using the Pacific as its firing range depends on the United States’ actions, said Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The U.S. military plans to conduct joint tabletop military response drills with South Korea this week. 

How are other countries responding? South Korea put largely symbolic sanctions on four individuals and five entities linked to North Korea’s weapon program, South Korea’s foreign ministry said. Japan called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council Monday to respond to the launches. The missile launches violate a U.N. Security Council resolution that bars North Korea from any ballistic missile activities. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Josh Schumacher’s report in The World and Everything in It podcast on what to expect from North Korea this year.